Saving Hope: Season 1 (DVD) – Series Review
Saving Hope is a medical drama that can be compared to popular medical drama’s such as ER, House M.D. and Grey’s Anatomy but with a supernatural Ghost Whisperer sort of twist. Two successful surgeons, actively in love are separated by a tragic accident which left Dr. Charlie Harris comatose. Charlie and his fiancée Dr. Alex Reid find themselves reaching beyond their scientific perspectives.
Dr. Alex Reid (Erica Durance) and Dr. Charlie Harris (Michael Shanks) are the perfect couple. Both have successful careers as surgeons at Hope Zion Hospital, a medical teaching center. Although there is some age difference between the two, their relationship has grown to a point where they are more than ready to tie the knot. Ready for matrimony, they are finally on their way to their own wedding when a tragic accident occurs. At first glance our nearly weds seem to be in the clear but then Charlie falls unconscious. The odd but loveable neurologist Dr. Shahir Hamza (Huse Madhavji) declares Charlie comatose.
Alex is a supporting fiancée and she sits by Charlie’s bedside day in, day out but to no prevail. Charlie refuses to rouse from his coma and we see his ethereal form wander around the hospital. As a firm believer in science, Charlie is having difficulty accepting this spirit realm. In the meantime, life at Hope Zion continues as the team of medical experts solves case after case, some resulting into rare and unfortunate deaths of their patients. When Charlie comes across other ghosts who have gone into a comatose state or simply died, he finds himself being forced to see everything in a new perspective as he helps them accept their fate. Each episode features a new ghost from which Charlie will eventually learn from.
After several weeks, Charlie has finally accepted his fate despite the fact that Alex continues to try new methods to arouse him from his deep sleep but the perseverance of Alex does not sit well with Charlie’s ex-wife Dr. Dawn Bell (Michelle Nolden). Dawn double-crosses Alex in a legal dispute, resulting into a DNR to be issues for Charlie. Dr. Melanda Tolliver (Glenda Braganza) continues to take care of Charlie until the very last second when she is forced to pull the plug. Implausible as it is, Charlie refuses to die and Alex forces Dawn to see just how strong he truly is. Dawn withdraws the DNR but Charlie still won’t wake up despite the fact that Dr. Hamza has found no more swelling in his head. The winner prevails however when Alex encourages Dr. Hamza to perform a surgery unheard of with coma patients and Charlie finally awakens. At first all seems fine again except for the fact that he remembers his spiritual guidance until it dawns on him that he continues to see ghosts.
Story wise, there are two main narratives that often cross each other; one where we see how Alex deals with Charlie being comatose, and one where Charlie is dealing with being ethereal. Both narratives work well separately but they also come together perfectly. However the medical aspect of the show is at times quite far away and the survival rate of the patients feel slim to none unlike the medical cases in House M.D.
Compared to popular medical drama’s such as Grey’s Anatomy, the cast size feels much smaller which results into less drama as well despite the supernatural aspect of the show. This also means that the main characters get enough screen time for you to form a proper image of them. The character development is also rather steady and you’ll grow to love the one-liners of nurse Jackson Wade (Joseph Pierre), the psychological perceptions of Dr. Gavin Murphy (Kristopher Turner) and the outgoing outbursts of nurse Victor Reis (Salvatore Antonio). Surprisingly enough, the show features a gay couple from the very beginning which is a rare sight in TV-series in general.
Despite a strong cast comprising of Michael Shanks, known for his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG-1 and Erica Durance, known for her role as Lois Lane in Smallville, the acting performance seems to be on the backburner. Each actor has depicted their characters almost brilliantly no matter how insignificant their roles may be and you’ll certainly learn to love or loathe their characters but the performance just seems to be missing some spice. Perhaps it is due to the show missing out on a lot of personal drama while still having that raw and emotional frustration of mysterious earthbound creatures.
The DVD-boxset of Saving Hope Season 1 comes with extra footage that will extend your view time. The behind the scenes footage and interviews of the main cast members are certainly interesting but these footages lack the comical aspect of word failures often found in gag reels.
Conclusion
Saving Hope is a fine crossover of medical drama and supernatural fantasy, featuring the medical aspect found in popular shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and ER while bringing forth a less popular supernatural genre of ghostly spirits in the likes of Ghost Whisperer. A strong cast certainly helps the success rate of the series and although the performance is rather great, the show lacks a good amount of personal drama making it somewhat long-winded and mediocre.
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